ICASL grants scholarships
Over 120 students island-wide:
In its continuing commitment of taking chartered accountancy to the
most rural areas of Sri Lanka, over 120 students from across the country
and from all walks of life were awarded scholarships by the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL) at its annual scholarship
awards ceremony Sisu Diriya held on February 10.
Scholarship recipients with the dignitaries |
One hundred and twenty three students from diverse schools who had
successfully completed their advanced level examination were awarded the
scholarships on a merit basis for them to embark on a professional
qualification in the accountancy sphere.
The event was further boosted with an undertaking by the chief guest
of the event, Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake who pledged to
ensure all state universities in the country will be developed to be on
par with the most prestigious universities in the world.
"We will not discourage private universities from operating in the
country, instead to ensure that there is a level playing field, my
Ministry will strive to make certain that all state universities are
equally competitive in all areas and my target is to get our state
universities to be among the top 1000 universities in the world," the
Minister said.
He said that instead of discouraging private universities from
operating in the country, steps will be taken to ensure these
universities adhere to a framework where the highest of educational
standards are ensured, as some unrecognized educational establishments
offer various courses which are of low standards or not recognized.
The Minister said that the vision of President Mahinda Rajapaksa was
to groom a future generation who was both well qualified both
academically and professionally with an 'out of the box' mindset,
allowing them to go to any part of the world and execute their duties to
the highest of standards.
"I will not hesitate to disregard anyone who tries to block this
mission. The Government's primary aim is to create opportunities so that
anyone and everyone have access to universities in this country itself,"
the Minister said.
Meanwhile, ICASL President Sujeewa Mudalige pledged the Institute's
wholehearted support to the Minister's endeavours. "We commend the
initiatives taken by the Minister and the Higher Education Ministry
Secretary in attempting to reform the higher education system in our
country.
I am aware that this is no easy task. But as far as ICASL is
concerned, we will wholeheartedly support your endeavours to ensure the
students in Sri Lanka have a brighter future when they pursue tertiary
education in our country," Mudalige said.
The Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne,
who was the guest of honour, invited all professional educational
establishments to join with the Government and help groom high-quality
professionals to the country.
"A country without a vision is like a ship without a rudder - but
today we have an able leadership with a vision and we are progressing to
ensure our vision is a reality," he said.
He said that in the past all significant initiatives were blocked by
groups with vested interests be it ending of the war, or even large
scale power plant projects. "But the leadership did not crumble to such
pressure but instead decided to go ahead with his vision and today thus
the country is at remarkable juncture," Dr Nawaratne said. |